Cushion



Patente-d May l, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUSHION Carl Hugo Gerlofson and Theodore J. Nelson, Chicago, Ill.

Application July. 1, 1931,'Serial rNo. 548,133

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-179) This invention relates to a cushioning member. bers B. This may be done by forming a web B3 .In one fonn 'it may be embodied in a cushion between two or more of them and engaging the for use on a seat, as a seat cushion, or for use member A, as indicated generally in Figure 2 as a back cushion, or for any other cushioning and in detail in Figure 3. The members may be 5 use so as to cushion the person of an individual. otherwise reinforced by a vane or ange-like pord GQ Its most common use will be as a seat'cushion tion lit4 whch may engage one of the members and as aback cushion, although it may be used B and, being inclined downwardly, engage the in any association in rhich it is desired to procushion sheet-like member A. The reinforcing vide a cushioning men 'oer and to provide a surs or strengthening or stiffening effect which occurs l face Ventilating member. by the use of the members B3 or B4 maybe 6'5 One object of the invention is, therefore, to accomplished all any point in the CUShOIl. Arly provide a combined cushioning and surface ven- Of the members B may be reinforced in this tilating member wherein the surface which is manner. Ordinarilysit is not necessary i0 d0 S0 supported by the cushion is also ventilated. Anexcept adjacent the edges of the cushion and it l other object is to provide in a cushion means for is in this manner that the reinforcing is shown 70' permitting free circulation of air from the extein the gures herewith. rior thereto and therethrough. Another object It will be reaLzed that whereas our invention is to provide in a, Ventilating cushion member,V is herewith shown and described as a practical means for causing the passage of air through the operation devicey nevertheless many changes e cushion and into and out of the cushion along might 0 made in the Size. Shape, Dumber and 75 its edges and along its top and bottom, disposition of parts without departing from the other objects will appear from time to time spirit of the invention and we wish, therefore, in the specification and claims. that our showing be taken as in a sense dia- The invention is illustrated more or less diagfammt- In DaltCllla, the Cu'ShiOn device grammatically in the accompanying drawing, ShOWl may be 0f any Shape and mlght be mede 80 Wheyeim... lWithout the fabric covering, and the support Figure 1 is a plan view; members B might be of any suitable shape. -They Figure 2 is a fragmentary showing of an inmight 01 might 110i? be lOllCd @Ogcthel by the verted plan View on an enlarged scale; members B3 o r by the members B1 andfor some Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken at PUIDOSBS the CUP-like dDYeSSOnS B2 might' be 85 line 3-3 of Figure 2, on an enlarged scale; and omitted- I n Figure 4 is a vertical cross section taken at The use and Operation of our invention'is as line 4-4 of Figure 2, on an enlarged scale. f0110WS2 Like parts are designated by like characters The cushioning member 1S made as shown prefthroughout f the specification and drawing. erably of spense rubber. that 1S L0 say, 0f a rubon The cushion, which is made of yielding mateber in WlliCh a quant-illy 0f VOdS, air Spaces or rial and preferably of rubber or sponge rubber, bubbles is formed throughout the body of the is formed generally of a sheet1ike member or rubber, and will ordinarily be positioned upon body A which may be provided with perforations or against a lsurface so that the supporting col- 0 A1. Along its edge the member A may be proumn-like members B have their ends upon this 95' vided with a downwardly facing and downwardly surface. Thus a cushion may be positioned upon depending flange or enlargement A2. This ena chair seat or against the back of a chair. It largement may be of any Suitable shape but is will be noticed that the membersB are higher conveniently so shaped as to provide a curved or extend downward farther than the flange A2. orrounded edge A3,; for the cushion. A fabric or Thus this flange is out of contact with the surface 100 other covering A4 may be fastened upon the upon which the cushion is supported kand so the wshi'on; L entire edge of the cushion is open to the air, since Positioned upon the under surface ofthe cushthe rlai'rxgejzir2 does not make Contact with the supion member A and preferably formed integrally port vupon which or against which the cushion 5o with `it is a plurality of columns or stud-like suprests. 105 porting members B. These are preferably ta. Since the entire edge of the cushion is open to pered along their sides as at B1 and at ,their the. air and since the interior body of the cushbottom ends may be cup-shaped as at'B2 to pro-,lgion` is interrupted only by the column-like memvide suctionengaging cups. For some purposes bers, air may circulate freely to and from the 5521i; lis, advantageous to reinforce the column meminterior of the cushion, entering along the edge and leaving at the edge. Since perforations are also provided throughout the sheet-like meinber A, air may move in or out through these perforations. Thus complete circulation of air is possible into or out of the cushion through its sides or edges, top or bottoi Not only is the cushion ventilated so that it provides means for the circulation of air into or through or from it, but because of its construction and because of the material of which it is made, it provides what is in eilect a pumping action so that air positively drawn into the cushion and positively forced from it. If we assume the cushion to be placed upon a seat and we assume that someone is sitting on the cushion, as the individual moves or shifts his position varying weight will be applied to different portic-ns of the cushion. When, for example, the person sits on one side of the cushion, that side will be depressed more than the other side. Thus air is forced from that portion of the cushion. When the weight is then shifted, the portion which has been depressed is no longer depressed and because of the elasticity of the material, it expands, tending to draw air into that portion of the cushion. As the cushion moves, this process takes place more or less constantly and as the weight of the user is shifted about on the cushion the air is positively driven from one portion of the cushion and positively driven into another portion of the cushion and thus what is in reality a pumping action is set up within the cushion to circulate air in the cushion, to draw air into and to force air out of it.

Where in the specification and claims we have referredl to parts of the cushion as being downwardly depending, this language is used not in a limiting sense but merely as describing the particular form shown in the figures. rI'he cushion there shown is shown as resting upon a seat in which its upper surface occupies a more or less horizontal position and the supporting plugs or columns extend downwardly from the upper surface. lf the cushion were used in any other position, as for example against the back of a chair, the surface of the member A would occupy a more or less vertical position and the supporting plugs or columns B would extend more or less horizontally from it. It is to be understood, therefore, that in the specication and claims, where the members have been referred to as projecting downwardly, this language is not used in a limiting sense and is not to be understood as meaning that the cushion must always be used in a more or less horizontal position, with its plug-like members B pointing downwardly.

We claim:

l. In combination in a cushion, a sheet-like memorie upper member provided with perforations, and a plurality of supporting projections formed on the under surface of said sheet-like member, said supporting projections provided with concave depressions in their free ends, the sheet-like member having a downwardly depending thickened edge, the supports projecting downwardly beyond the thickened edge.

2, In combination in a cushion, a sheet-like upper member having its edges beveled and provided with perforations, and a plurality of supporting projections formed on the under surface of said cushion member, projecting in the same direction as the beveled edge of said member, said supports provided with concave depressions in their outer ends, the sheet-like upper member being thickened about its beveled edge said supports projecting downwardly beyond the edge of the cushion.

3. In combination in a cushion, an upper member provided with perforations, and a plurality of supporting projections formed on the under surface of said cushion member, the free ends of said projections dening a supporting plane for the cushion, some of said supports joined to each other by web members, the upper member being thickened about its edge and terminating above the plane defined by said projections.

4. in combination in a cushion, a sheet-like upper member provided with perforations, and g a plurality of supporting projections formed on the under surface of said sheet-like member, said supporting projections provided with concave depressions in their free ends, the sheet-like member having a downwardly depending thickened edge raised above the surface upon which the cushion rests, and fabric covering of a material diferent from the cushion, fastened on its upper surface and co-extensive with that surface.

5..In combination in a cushion, formed of sponge rubber, an upper member provided with perforations and a plurality of supporting projections, the upper member having a downwardly depending edge, the projections extending downwardly beyond said edge said edge being held above the surface upon which the cushion rests, to provide an edge open for air circulation.

6. En combination in a cushion, an upper member, and a plurality of supporting projections, the upper member being thickened about its edges, the projections extending downwardly beyond the edge of the upper member with the free ends of said projections defining a supporting plane spaced from said edge whereby to provide for free circulation of air from the periphery of the cushion into the body thereof, between said projections.

CARL HUGO GERLOFSON. THEODORE J. NELSON. 

